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The remark as to the number of guns that will be left unmanned "if volunteer garrison artillery is not available" is not clearly understood, as the only reason for maintaining such corps is that they shall be available when wanted. If it means that they may not turn out when called upon to aid in repelling attack, it may be observed that to assume this is to attribute to them conduct of which no white colonists have hitherto been guilty. If it means that with the present establishment of volunteer artillery for some unexplained reason a sufficient proportion of them may not be forthcoming, it is suggested that the propriety of converting from infantry to artillery some of the Metropolitan rifle corps, to whom the guns would be accessible for practice, might be considered.
3. The Committee fully concur in the recommendation contained in paragraph 3 of the covering letter, and referred to in detail at p. 26 of the Scheme, that permanent telegraphic communication should be established between all the forts and batteries instead of leaving it to be extemporized at the last moment, and a demand for this service should be put forward. The recommendation to connect Robben Island by telegraph with Cape Town, however, requires some further explanation to support it, in view of the great facilities for look-out afforded by the high ground of the Cape Peninsula. It is believed that in clear weather a distance of over 50 miles can be overlooked from the station at Lion's Rump, and it and the new station at Saldanha Bay should, it is thought, suffice to overlook the approach by sea from the north and west.
4. The question of command as between the officers of the Imperial and Colonial forces, and which is more especially important in the case of artillery officers, has lately arisen in the case of Halifax also, and it is hoped that a satisfactory settlement of the difficulty may shortly be arrived at. Meanwhile, under existing conditions, the arrangement proposed at paragraph 6, p. 37, viz., to give increase of rank locally to Royal Artillery officers, is all that can possibly be done to meet the difficulty.
5. The Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee referred to at p. 6 has just been received. It will be dealt with separately. The outcome, when finally approved, should be incorporated in the Defence Scheme.
6. Passing to the Scheme itself, which, taken as a whole, has now assumed a very satisfactory form, the following points require alteration or further attention on revision :-
Page 11.-As regards the dissent of the Local Committee from the views expressed by the Colonial Defence Committee in their remarks on the revised Scheme of 1893, viz., "that the Cape could be effectively attacked only by a considerable squadron accompanied by a land force of not less than 10,000 men," the Colonial Defence Committee think it undesirable to enter into any discussion on the matter. These views were approved and adopted, after due deliberation, by the Secretaries of State for the Colonies and for War and by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty; they express the settled opinion of Her Majesty's Government, and must be accepted as such by the Local Committee.
7. On p. 23 the Cape Mounted Rifles have been considered as available on mobilization, but on p. 18 it is calculated that they will take twelve days to reach Cape Town, which is the same time as is required to bring the battalion from Natal. It will therefore be advisable to include them rather in the amended distribution given on p. 24.
8. Page 26.-Possibly the road advocated to connect the Kloof with the Lion's Rump might be made in peace-time by prison labour, as is being gradually done, in a somewhat similar case, at Mauritius.
9. Page 27.-D. Modes of meeting various Attacks.-Certain garrisons are mentioned as allotted to the various positions to be occupied in the event of a hostile landing, but it is nowhere shown what sections of the defence are to provide them. Similarly, the works referred to as to be constructed at these positions have, with a few exceptions, been omitted from the Royal Engineer portion of the Scheme.
10. Page 28.-The positions selected to cover Simon's Town from an advance from Chapman's Bay should be approximately indicated on the map, as has been done in the case of the other positions.
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